


Girls Just Want To Have Fun

by Goldencanary



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bisexual Waverly Earp, Cheerleader Waverly Earp, Eventual Smut?, F/F, High School, Just wanted to try something new, Rebel Waverly Earp, Slow Burn, Waverly wears leather and rides a motorcylce, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:54:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26531686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldencanary/pseuds/Goldencanary
Summary: Just another high school au, where Waverly is the popular rebel school player and Nicole likes to stick to the books and her close group of friends. As much as they may annoy each other, they can't help but give in to their connection.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 12
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey readers! I started this purely for fun. I just wanted to try something new with the characters that break certain stereotypes. I’m not a writer, I actually hate writing, so we’ll see how well I stick with this. I’m an overworked high school senior, so I apologize but I probably won’t have a frequent updating schedule. Feel free to always reach out to me tho and be like “hey, where are you?” and I’ll do my best to get an update out for you. I have an outline of this story, but I truly have no clue where this is gonna take me, so I will probably surprise myself. I say slow burn, but also I’m terrible at it and I’m not good at writing angst. But I can promise lots of Wayhaught.
> 
> Okay please enjoy.  
> Goldencanary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly runs over to the stairs to catch up with Nicole who was turning around to head inside the building. Using her advantage that Nicole was turned away from her, she sneaks up and wraps herself around the girl’s back, making sure to press all of herself against the red head’s tall frame.
> 
> “Hey you” she whispers in her ear. She does her best to drop her voice an octave lower. Nicole whips her head around, ignoring the chill down her spine.
> 
> “What the fuck Waverly! You can’t just sneak up on a girl like that” Nicole immediately shoots daggers with her eyes at the petite girl standing in front of her.
> 
> “Why? Did I scare you? I thought you like horror movies, you know, the thrill of being surprised. I’m just trying to fulfill your pleasures.” Waverly looks up at the girls through her eyelashes and bites her lip. Nicole reddens. Unable to come up with a response she just grumbles and mutters something about being late to advisory. Unfortunately, Waverly Earp was also in her advisory.

Nicole groans as she turns off her alarm. 6:30 am. Great! She has an hour to get ready for school! Nicole lets herself lie in bed for another 15 minutes before finally getting up and jumping in the shower. She lets the hot water loosen the kinks in her neck from sleeping the wrong way. Showers alway give her more energy to start the day off well. When she finally gets out it’s 7 am. She quickly gets dressed in converse, jeans, and a flannel. She fixes her glasses on her face and goes downstairs to make some breakfast. After all, it is the most important meal of the day. Her father is waiting for her downstairs, eating a bowl of yogurt and reading the local paper. He looks over the large paper in front of him, glaring when he sees how his daughter is dressed.

“Can’t you look normal for one day?”

“What’s wrong with my outfit this time?” Nicole sighs. She’s done this too many times. First she can’t wear the beanie, then she can’t wear her rainbow bracelet, then it’s the Doc Martens. Now she can’t wear a freaking flannel. For someone so homophobic, she’s surprised that her dad even knows about lesbian clothing stereotypes.

Nicole ignores the rest of his complaints as she fixes herself a bowl of cereal and quickly eats it, trying to get out of here as quickly as possible. She’s glad her mother is still asleep cuz she would shriek if she saw what Nicole was wearing. Nicole runs back to her room, double checking her backpack to make sure she has all of her notebook and homework assignments and runs out the front door, not even saying goodbye. It’s a short bike trip to her school and she arrives with 15 minutes to spare. Opting to just wait on the steps in front of the school and enjoy the fresh air, she hears arguing from the parking lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The alarm clock in her room blares. 7:20 AM. Waverly blindly reaches out to turn on snooze, but when she can’t find it, she hurls the alarm clock across the room. The batteries fall out as it crashes into the wall.

“WHAT THE HELL!” Wynonna barges into the room when she hears the commotion. “Waverly Earp get your ass out of bed! I will not be late because of your idiot ass.”

“Shut up Wynonna! I’m getting up. We won’t be late, cool your tits.” Waverly grumbles. She quickly throws on her black ripped jeans, a simple white cropped top and her signature leather jacket with a rainbow stripe running down the sleeve.

“We have 5 minutes to get out of here!”

Waverly finishes her mascara and runs out the door with Wynonna.

“You need breakfast idiot.”

“No I don’t. I’ll eat at lunch.”

“Waverly just take a fucking apple. I won’t be the reason you starve yourself to death.”

“Ugh fine.”

They finally arrive at school with only 5 minutes to spare. Slamming the car doors, Wynonna starts shouting at her that she can’t be late for her first period. 

“The teacher’s an asshole and already hates my guts! I can’t give him another reason to send me to the office. One more strike and I’m out!” Waverly rolls her eyes at the baseball reference.

“Wynonna you’ll be fine! If you speed walk you’ll make it.”

Waverly feels like she’s being watched as she turns and finds Nicole Haught staring at the two sisters from the steps of the school. 

“I’ll catch you later Wynonna?”

“Yeah yeah”

Waverly runs over to the stairs to catch up with Nicole who was turning around to head inside the building. Using her advantage that Nicole was turned away from her, she sneaks up and wraps herself around the girl’s back, making sure to press all of herself against the red head’s tall frame.

“Hey you” she whispers in her ear. She does her best to drop her voice an octave lower. Nicole whips her head around, ignoring the chill down her spine.

“What the fuck Waverly! You can’t just sneak up on a girl like that” Nicole immediately shoots daggers with her eyes at the petite girl standing in front of her.

“Why? Did I scare you? I thought you like horror movies, you know, the thrill of being surprised. I’m just trying to fulfill your pleasures.” Waverly looks up at the girls through her eyelashes and bites her lip. Nicole reddens. Unable to come up with a response she just grumbles and mutters something about being late to advisory. Unfortunately, Waverly Earp was also in her advisory.

Nicole slumps down in her seat in the back of the room. She hears the teacher talking but honestly, none of it is reaching her ears. This day has been off to a _great_ start. She eyes Waverly from across the row, but she doesn’t look away fast enough and Waverly smirks at her. No matter how often she sees her at Chrissy’s she has never been able to build up her tolerance for the girl's antics. They’re completely opposite people as Nicole likes to follow rules and Waverly likes to break them. Maybe the only similarity between them is that they’re both gay, but even then they’re completely different for Waverly doesn’t mind sucking face with guys either. Nicole wants to gag every time she sees Waverly with whatever arm candy she found for the month. This month she’s with the quarterback Champ. Nicole doesn’t even understand this one. He’s incredibly sleazy, a complete idiot, and he takes advantage of every second he can to either grope Waverly’s ass or make out with her like a wet dog. Nicole really shouldn’t be surprised though. Waverly’s never shy with her latest conquests, always up against the lockers with some girl or guy with her tongue down someone’s throat or flirting with anything that walks on two feet. 

As they walk out of advisory, Nicole lowers her gaze, avoiding any eye contact as she goes to her locker to get her materials for the next class. Chrissy is waiting for her as they walk off to honors calculus. Nicole has always considered herself somewhat of a nerd. She absolutely loves school. She loves learning everything she possibly can about history or math or science. For the rest of the day, she becomes completely absorbed in all of her classes, happy that there is no Waverly Earp to distract her. Her mood changes when she heads off to lunch. Nicole is passing through the hallways when she finds Champ and Waverly pressed against the lockers. Champ has one hand next to Waverly’s head and the other grazing her side-boob as Waverly pulls him closer by the collar of his shirt. Nicole stands there frozen until she hears yelling from down the hallway.

“Hey get your hands off of her!” Wynonna comes barging down and rips Champ off of Waverly.

“Wynonna!” Waverly whines. “Leave me and Champ alone.”

“I’m hungry babygirl! I can’t wait until you and your boyfriend are done swapping saliva!”

“He’s not my boyfriend Wynonna. We’re just having fun.”

“Well have fun somewhere else. Not where the whole world can see you!” Wynonna tugs Waverly away from a nonchalant Champ. 

Champ looks up from his phone and catches Nicole’s eye. He sends her a wink before turning and heading the other direction. Nicole shudders as she tries to get that disgusting image out of her head. _So, Wynonna also doesn’t approve of Waverly’s latest victim? Huh._ Nicole heads off to the cafeteria. She finds Jeremy and Chrissy chatting at a table and decides to join her friend and cousin.

“Hey!” They both greet her. “We were just talking about our latest science project. We have these caterpillars and we get to take care of them on our own! We have to do all this research about what they eat, what to expect from their growth, you know, all the stuff to help keep them alive and become butterflies!” Jeremy explained.

“Yeah that sounds really great guys!” Nicole says. She gets distracted by a certain brunette talking animatedly with her sister and another guy with dark skin. He’s sitting between the two laughing girls with only a small smile gracing his lips. His crossed arms show off his bulging biceps.

“Dolls. How are you not laughing right now! Did you not just see Waverly make an ass out of herself with that girl Stephanie? I have never seen someone fail so hard!” Wynonna was cracking up as Waverly smacks her in the arm.

“I’ll have you know, Stephanie was just playing hard to get. Come to the party this weekend I can guarantee you, she won’t be able to say no for much longer.” Waverly winks at her sister.

“Okay gross” Nicole looks over to Chrissy who she catches staring at her. 

“What Chrissy?”

“Nicole, you look like a kicked puppy right now and I really don’t want to see that. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Really? By the looks of it, you’re staring directly at Waverly who’s talking about Stephanie and you’re looking a little bit jealous.” Chrissy smirks at her cousin. She has been in the middle of many Nicole/Waverly feuds. As one of Waverly’s best friends and Nicole’s cousin, she always gets pulled into trying to pick sides. In reality she just wishes they would see how they could actually become friends if they weren’t always trying to get reactions out of one another.

“This is a look of disgust. How can she be dating that boy-man Champ Hardy while trying to hookup with other girls.”

Chrissy sighs. “Look, I’m not saying I agree with what she does either, but Waverly can take care of herself. And I trust her, that when the time comes, she always makes the right decision.”

“But she’s so smart and she just wastes it away drinking and hooking up with everyone!”

“Nicole, I love you, but it is nowhere near your place to judge her. You don’t know what she’s been through. She’s still trying to-” Chrissy cuts herself off when Jeremy hits her in the arm. She sees a wide eyed Nicole, shocked by some new information.

“What are you talking about Chrissy?”

“Nothing. Just, give her some space to figure stuff out. She’s confident in herself. That’s something to admire, not judge.”

Nicole recognizes that’s all she’s going to get from her friend and decides to clear off her spot at the table, heading to her next class a little early. She shares this class with Waverly. She can’t help but feed her curious mind as she hopes she will get more information from Waverly. She lingers in the hallway until she spots an approaching tiny brunette with her backpack slung over one shoulder. Waverly passes her and takes a seat at one of the lab tables. Nicole decides it’s time to find herself a new lab partner as she chooses the seat next to Waverly.

“Howdy partner” Nicole drawls sending Waverly a wink. Waverly stares wide-eyed, the confusion written on her face. 

“Where’s Rosita? She’s my lab partner.”

“Eh, there were never any assigned lab partners and I got sick of Carl’s stupidity. Last week, he tried to eat our beans instead of grow them!” Nicole rolls her eyes.

“Stupid Carl” Waverly giggles. “Well, I hope I serve as a better lab partner. God knows I only aim to please.” Nicole’s chest tightens as Waverly’s flirting does nothing but render her unable to form sentences

_This is it. I’m gonna die._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I hope you liked it and my idea came across well. What do you think? Should I continue? I love to read all your comments.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly strides into advisory the next morning as if nothing was wrong. She actually sits down next to Nicole and smiles and waves. What is going on? Nicole takes the greeting and shoots her a dimpled smile back. Whatever Waverly was going through yesterday, Nicole sure as hell knows she’s gonna keep Waverly distracted from whatever darkness overcame the younger Earp.
> 
> “Just can’t stay away from me huh?” Nicole teases.
> 
> “You know me, any chance I get to see those adorable dimples I’m gonna take. Actually lemme just…” Waverly reaches over to Nicole and snatches the redhead’s glasses off before she can defend herself. Waverly places the black frames on her own head and squints. “There, now I can see them.”
> 
> Nicole is still trying to forget the feeling of Waverly’s fingertips against her temples. “Like what you see?” She can do this. It’s just flirting. Nicole resigns herself to the fact that she’ll deal with whatever mixed up feelings she has later. That’s healthy. 
> 
> Conceal don’t feel. Don’t let it show. Fuck now I have Frozen stuck in my head. I guess that’s fitting though. Elsa is suuuper gay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I can’t believe I’m back with a second chapter. School is kicking my butt, especially cuz I’m a professional procrastinator, but anyways, here I am. More WayHaught adventures, maybe Nicole gets invited to a party, just have to read to find out. This is a long one.

The next day Nicole enters advisory actively seeking out a certain brunette. Scanning her eyes around the room her brow furrows when she can’t spot those wavy locks in her usual seat. She peers out in the hallway one last time, deciding that she will just have to ask Chrissy where Waverly is. 20 minutes into advisory and the teacher still hasn’t even noticed Waverly is missing. Or she has at least not commented on it. _Weird_ . The back door to the classroom opens up and a disheveled Waverly wearing sunglasses sneaks in and slips into the available seat next to Nicole in the back of the room. Nicole looks over to Waverly. _What happened? This girl is a mess!_ Nicole finally catches Waverly’s attention and whispers “Are you ok?” Waverly just gives a small nod and focuses her attention back on the phone that’s hidden in her notebook. 

Their teacher finishes giving announcements for the day. Nicole tries to catch Waverly again, but the girl is out of the room faster than The Flash. _What happened? We had such a good time in Lab the other day. I need to talk to Chrissy. Maybe Wynonna? No she scares me._ Nicole visibly shudders at the idea of confronting the older Earp. Nicole lets out a resigned sigh as she heads to her next class. 

Finally, Nicole has Lab again with Waverly towards the end of the day. She had tried to talk to Chrissy, but unfortunately Thursdays are the worst days for either of them. They are both always completely busy with other classes. Even their lunch periods don’t line up. Nicole smiles as she knows that Waverly will have no choice but to talk to her. After all, they are lab partners. Nicole spots Waverly at their table, and she heads over dropping her backpack on the floor and spinning around on the wheely stool that they have as seats. 

“Heya! You ready to start our next project? We get to build model rockets! This is a competition though, and you know me, I’m extremely competitive. You gonna help me win or do I have to pull all the weight? I mean, we _both_ _know_ I’m smarter.” Nicole winks. She tries to throw in the light teasing to get a retort out of Waverly, but it doesn’t work. Nicole cocks her head to the side and takes a long look at Waverly. Her eyes are now uncovered from those obstructive sunglasses. She notices that Waverly is sporting a black eye. _WHAT THE FUCK!_ Nicole may not love Waverly 24/7, but she sure as hell is gonna find whoever did this to her cousin’s best friend and give that fucker a black eye to match. Nicole clenches her fists and grinds her teeth. She’s gonna make him pay. 

_Woah, where did that come from?_

Nicole blinks again. During the entire period, Nicole tries to strike up small conversations with Waverly, but she gets no response. Maybe a small nod or grunt if she’s lucky. She sighs. I guess I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to try and talk to her again.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waverly strides into advisory the next morning as if nothing was wrong. She actually sits down next to Nicole and smiles and waves. _What is going on?_ Nicole takes the greeting and shoots her a dimpled smile back. Whatever Waverly was going through yesterday, Nicole sure as hell knows she’s gonna keep Waverly distracted from whatever darkness overcame the younger Earp.

“Just can’t stay away from me huh?” Nicole teases.

“You know me, any chance I get to see those adorable dimples I’m gonna take. Actually lemme just…” Waverly reaches over to Nicole and snatches the redhead’s glasses off before she can defend herself. Waverly places the black frames on her own head and squints. “There, now I can see them.”

Nicole is still trying to forget the feeling of Waverly’s fingertips against her temples. “Like what you see?” She can do this. It’s just flirting. Nicole resigns herself to the fact that she’ll deal with whatever mixed up feelings she has later. That’s healthy. 

_Conceal don’t feel. Don’t let it show. Fuck now I have Frozen stuck in my head. I guess that’s fitting though. Elsa is suuuper gay._

Nicole notices the deep flush that takes over Waverly’s form. _Huh. Maybe I do have some effect on Waverly._ Nicole smirks. I guess this is gonna be one of those days full of teasing and flirting. She’s had enough of them with Waverly to know that they never actually lead to anything more, especially because Waverly is with Champ.

The rest of advisory goes pretty smoothly, they stop their back and forth after getting a little too loud and a long hard glare from their teacher shuts them up pretty fast. They’re walking out of the door when Waverly pulls Nicole over to the side of the hallway.

“So there’s actually something I wanted to ask you. It’s ok to say no, I totally understand, but-” Waverly gets cut off by a harsh tug on her waist. Before she regains her balance, Champ is pushed against her, claiming his mouth on hers. Nicole just stands there awkwardly, waiting until Waverly is done to continue their conversation. _She can't just leave me on a cliffhanger!_ Unfortunately for her, she should have just left. Champ lets out a small groan and Nicole physically has to push down the bile that rises in her throat at that sound. She speedwalks as fast as she can away from the pair before she has to see or hear anymore unwelcome thoughts. 

Waverly finally manages to push away from Champ.

“What the fuck Champ! Can’t you tell I’m in the middle of a conversation with Nico-” Waverly stutters. She tries to ignore the dejected feeling of her heart dropping when she realizes that Nicole is no longer there. 

“I don’t see anyone babe,” Champ replies. Reaching out to pull her closer again.

“That’s not the point, Champ! I don’t appreciate being grabbed and forced into a kiss! I talked to you about this before. Especially in school! I was clearly in the middle of a conversation, and you pulled me away. If we do anything Champ, it’s on my terms. I know you needed a little reminder of that the other night. I thought maybe you would have learned but it seems like I need to remind you again.” Waverly smacks his shoulder, trying to wake him up and realize she’s upset.

“Babe what about me? I have needs too. Why do you alway come first in everything?!” Champ whines.

Waverly rolls her eyes. She can’t deal with this right now. She storms off, trying to see if she can catch up with the redhead. She finally gets the chance to see her again walking up to the cafeteria. 

“Anyway, so I’m talking to Robin right. And-”

“Uh huh interesting Chrissy. I’m gonna catch up with you later alright?” Waverly interrupts her friend from talking about whatever new boy she has a crush on and races to where Nicole is seated with Jeremy, leaving Chrissy to stare dumbfounded.

_That’s a new development. Since when does Waverly_ seek _out Nicole?_ Chrissy shrugs and just lets whatever happens happen. At least her friends are talking to each other without tearing off the other’s head.

Waverly casually walks up to Nicole and Jeremy with her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. Nicole stops eating as she looks up at the small brunette.

“Hey. I’m sorry about earlier. I was trying to ask you something and Champ kinda got in the way. Don’t worry though, I talked to him about it and he knows not to do that again.” Waverly shrugged.

Nicole just smiled back assuring her it was fine. “I get it, he’s your boyfriend. You’re allowed to kiss your boyfriend.” Nicole’s fingernails dug into her skin as she suppressed a very different thought. _He’s disgusting. You deserve so much better Waverly. If you were with me I would never cross those boundaries._ Woah. Where did that last thought come from? Nicole knew she had very obvious physical reactions to Waverly’s flirting. Can you blame her? She’s a raging homo. Nicole likes every pretty girl that talks to her. Waverly’s just another pretty girl who happens to talk to her in less than appropriate ways. 

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Waverly stuttered out. She didn’t quite know why she felt the need to clarify that. “No it’s not ok Nicole. It may be ok with some people, but not with me. I respect you and I want to talk to you. The thing with Champ isn’t serious. We’re not dating, and he needs to understand that I have a life outside of him. I don’t even know if I want any part of a life with him.” Waverly mumbles the last bit.

Nicole just stares wide-eyed at Waverly’s confession. _Does she not want to be with Champ? Oh my god yes!_ Nicole does an imaginatory celebratory fist pump.

“Waverly I totally understand. Just know I’m not gonna stop you from doing what you want with your life. What goes on in your personal life is none of my business and I need to respect that,” Nicole thinks back to her conversation with Chrissy the other day. Waverly grins shyly.

“Wow no one has ever said that to me before.” Waverly stares into Nicole's chocolate eyes. The rest of the world seems to fade as they both forget Jeremy and a now caught up Chrissy sitting at the table. They both turn to each other. Confused but small smiles on their faces as they watch their two friends starting to open up to each other. It’s Chrissy clearing her throat that breaks the trance the two girls seem to be caught in.

“Anyway… I’m having a party tonight and I was wondering if you want to come!” Waverly rushes out. The tips of Nicole’s ears redden as she realizes the position they were caught in. “Of course Jeremy is also invited. Chrissy, you already know you’re always welcome.” Waverly turns to address the other members of the party before refocusing her gaze onto a very red Nicole.

“Umm yeah I should be able to stop by. I don’t want to intrude though.” Nicole rubs the back of her neck, huffing when her fingers get caught in her long red lock. _I wish I could just cut it all off._ She thinks. She has wanted to cut her hair short ever since she came to terms with the fact that she’s gay. She has always felt uncomfortable in her own skin, and a fresh look is always something that she thought would help her feel more like herself.

“Not at all! I would lo- I want you to be there. Please come?” Waverly catches herself from saying something that could very much be taken the wrong way.

“Then I shall be there.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After spending two hours picking out the best outfit for Waverly’s party tonight. Nicole finally settled on black ripped jeans and a white tank top. She throws on her jean jacket that is embroidered with a rainbow patch and a rose on the back. Her jeans hug her curves in all the right places and the jacket is just a precaution to ward off any guys who think she’s at all interested. Nope. Nicole Haught is as gay as a sparkly rainbow unicorn at a pride parade wearing a flannel coat and a pride flag attached to its horn.

Despite her sometimes awkward and shy behavior, Nicole knows she looks good. She may not have much experience in the relationship department, but she does have some experience in the _Waverly_ department. Nicole takes a deep breath. _Okay Haught stuff. You’re just going to walk in. See Waverly, hopefully not with Chump. And have a good time._

She gets in her car and drives off to meet Waverly at the Homestead. She hears the party before she can see it. The bass is blasting through the house and it is physically rocking her car as she parks and steps out. _Shit_. This is not what she thought it would be like. To be honest, she didn’t really know what it would be like. She hadn’t actually ever been to a party, preferring to spend her weekends working for school so that she had more spare time during the week. Maybe she should just turn around. This clearly isn’t her scene. She turns to head back into her car until she hears someone shout her name. Well, more like a nickname.

“Haught-Damn you made it!” Wynonna shouts. Nicole scowls at the nickname. Wynonna always manages to use her last name in whatever pun she can come up with. Sometimes she even gets a good one in with her first name. Nicole doesn’t know how she does it. 

“Um yeah. I guess I did. I just wanted to stop in, show Waverly that I made it, and I’ll probably go home soon. I have a lot of work and-”

“Stop being such a Stick-Up-The-Ass-Twizzler-Lady” Wynonna says. Before Nicole can even question where she got that phrase, she is being pulled inside. Nicole doesn’t know why, but she has always been able to talk to Wynonna. Maybe it’s because they both disapprove of Waverly’s boy-man. But who doesn’t dislike the rodeo clown?

Nicole enters the house and somehow her entire body is rocked with how loud the music is. She sees Wynonna saying something but she can’t hear over the speakers. She just gestures that she’s going to get a drink and turns to head into the kitchen. She spots Jeremy talking to this football player Robin. _Good for him_. She shrugs. Pouring herself some Coke in a solo cup, she heads into the rest of the house, finding a spot for her to hand out. She has been in the Homestead numerous times as Chrissy and Waverly have invited her to hang with them. Sometimes she even gets an invite from Wynonna. She spots Wynonna talking to the same guy from lunch the other day and approaches them. “Hey Wynonna.”

“Hey Nic! This is Dolls. Xavier Dolls.” Despite his neutral face, Nicole gets a feeling she and him are going to get along. 

“Hey. I’m Nicole. Chrissy’s cousin.” He just nods and gives a small smile of acknowledgment. He turns to Wynonna continuing their conversation.

“So where’s Michelle?”

“Oh, she’s out with Gus. I think they said something about sister bonding time and that she’ll be back in the morning. I honestly didn’t hear much. Too busy planning this party with Waves in my head.” Wynonna explains. Nicole quickly realizes that she’s third-wheeling and turns to walk into the living room where most of the dancing is going on. She sees that the coffee table has been pushed away, leaving more space as a dance floor. She scans the room and unfortunately, her eyes land on multiple pairs of bodies on top of each other on the couch and against the wall. _Great now I can’t erase that hetero image out of my mind. I’m gonna need bleach._ Nicole finally find Waverly dancing with Chrissy and the girl Stephanie that she overheard Waverly talking about the other day. She can’t help but notice Stephanie and Waverly are awfully close to each other. They’re holding hands as they sway their bodies singing along to the music. A sick feeling rests in Nicoles stomach. _She’s with Champ yet openly flirting with Stephanie._ Nicole thought she got over this, but when she sees Waverly laugh and whisper something in Stephanie’s ear, moving her body even closer so their fronts are now pressed against each other, Nicole can’t help the scowl on her face. Chrissy sees Nicole and takes that as an opportunity to extract herself from the obvious sexually charged dancing her friend is now taking part in.

“Hey Nicole!” Chrissy greets her, wobbling a little. She’s obviously had a little too much to drink. Nicole knew she would be driving home later, so she limited herself to a quick shot she did as she entered the room, and continued drinking her soda.

“Heya Chrissy. I see you’ve already had some fun.” Nicole smirks.

“Oh my God it’s the best! I’m so happy you’re here. Waverly has been waiting all night wondering if you were gonna show! She even made sure to keep this a secret from Champ so that he wouldn’t come in and steal her away from you! God knows how she managed to do that considering other members of the football team are here. Did you see Robin and Jeremy? God they’re so cute together. You know who else would be cute together? You and Waverly! Just imagine it! God I can’t believe I’m literally the only straight person in this friend group! At least Jeremy and Waverly like dudes as well.” Nicole just laughs at her friend’s rambling, but Chrissy’s words hit something in the back of Nicole’s mind.

_Waverly doesn’t want Champ here? Because she wanted to spend time with me? Haha yeah, she clearly is focused on me. I mean look at her. She literally now has her ass pressed against another girl! So much for Champ. So much for me! She does look gooood. I mean that black dress is doing wonders in showing off her curves. That neckline, God I wonder how that would feel under my mouth._

Nicole raises her eyes from Waverly’s body to her face. She’s smiling wide as she dances with Stephanie. Nicole looks at her close eyes. Suddenly they’re not closed. Waverly is staring right at her. She smiles even wider when she spots Nicole. Nicole gets lost in those eyes for the second time that day. Through the dim lights she can just make out the hazel flecks. She hears her name from next to her and finally realizes she’s with Chrissy. Damn. That’s twice in a row now Chrissy has caught her staring. Only this time, Chrissy’s face isn’t one of confusion. She’s smiling widely as she looks at Nicole watching her best friend.

“Oooooh! Nicole! You like Waverly! That explains so much! I mean obviously you do. She’s my friend, and she has become your friend if I’m not mistaken. Everyone likes Waverly. She’s cool. But I mean you _like_ her. Wait. That sounds the same.” Chrissy frowns as she tries to make out what she’s trying to say. “You like like her! Nicole you’re gay for her!” Chrissy almost screams as she finally puts all the pieces together. Nicole is frozen. Caught like a deer in the headlights. Her eyes flick from Chrissy to Waverly, back to Chrissy, then she does a double take on Waverly how now has her eyes closed again, one hand in Stephanie’s hair behind her as she plants kisses along Waverly’s neck. Nicole can’t handle this. She doesn’t know what to say to Chrissy. She has barely even figured out for herself how she feels about Waverly. 

She can’t handle these emotions, especially not when Waverly is grinding against someone else. Nicole tears off her jacket, suddenly sweating in the stuffy room, and runs outside to get some cold air. She sits in the grass outside the homestead, glad that it’s at least quieter out here and there are only a few people who also needed a break from the hot house. Nicole hears the ruffling of grass but she doesn’t open her eyes. She’s too busy letting the feel of grass ticking her hands and wind blowing across her face to calm down, that she doesn’t notice the ruffling has stopped.

“Nicole?” 

Nicole’s eyes shoot open. No. Not now. She can’t handle this now. Nope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! I love reading comments. Let me know your thoughts.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Woah Haught Cakes! Babygirl! You two returning from your midday quickie? I get it Waves, Fire Crotch here is hot, but you can’t just sneak off. I gotta talk to you dude.”
> 
> Waverly and Nicole’s ears burned bright red at the older Earp’s comments.
> 
> “What?! Wynonna! No. We were just talking. But yeah we can go chat.” Waverly squeaked. She then turned to Nicole. Throughout all of this how had they still not let go of each other's hands? “Ummm. I’m glad we got to clear the air a little bit. I was hoping you could make it to the football game tonight?”
> 
> “Oh yeah me too. And uh sure.” Nicole rubbed the back of her neck. She really wanted to cut her hair. 
> 
> “Great!” Waverly jumped. She unconsciously wrapped Nicole into a hug which surprised them both. Waverly, feeling like taking advantage of the situation decided to play a little with the redhead. She leant deeper into her, moving her mouth closer to her ear. “I think we both know you’re not going for the football players.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry I’ve been away for a while. I’ve been swamped with work, especially cuz early college apps are due the 2nd and I’ve probably gone through at least 20 drafts of my common essay. Anyways, I had a long weekend so I figured now’s probably the only time I’ll be able to bang out another chapter. Hope you like it!

“Waverly, please not now,” Nicole begged. She kept her face hidden behind her arms. She didn’t want Waverly to see that she had almost been crying.

“Nicole, are you okay.” Waverly kneels besides the redhead and places her hand on her arm, trying to get her to show her face. Nicole realizes what Waverly’s trying to do and she quickly jumps up.

“Waverly I said not now. I want to leave. I shouldn’t have come here. Just let me go.”

Waverly is too shocked to respond quickly, but when she finally gathers her senses, she chases after Nicole who is now walking to her car.

“Nicole please don’t go. You just got here. I don’t want you to leave. Just talk to me!!” Waverly shouts, trying her best to keep the redhead from running away, but her efforts are not enough. She stands left in the middle of her driveway, staring after the car that just sped away from her.

  
  


\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


Nicole had managed to go almost half a day before running into Waverly. Unfortunately for her, that momentary peace ended at lunch. Nicole had just placed her tray down in front of her usual seat across from Jeremy when she feels a hand on her shoulder and a soft whisper of her name.

“Nicole?”

Jeremy, too focused on whatever math problem is in front of him, misses Nicole’s pleading face. She doesn’t want to turn around and face the source of the voice. She takes in a deep breath and swivels her feet so she now faces the shorter girl. Raising a questioning eyebrow, Nicole remains silent, waiting for Waverly to continue with what she wanted to say.

“Look,” Waverly eyes nervously dart around to the other tables, “Actually, can we maybe go somewhere less public?”

_ What game is she playing at? _

Nicole just shrugs her shoulders and lets Waverly guide her away from the crowded cafeteria. They wind up standing in a corner of the hallway, hidden from the view of gossiping teenagers.

“I need to apologize for the other night. I had invited you to the party, something I know you didn’t really feel comfortable doing, and instead of being by your side I abandoned you. I shouldn’t have done that. And then you left without speaking to me and I didn’t know what to do, so I just let you leave. God, I didn’t want you to leave. That was the last thing I wanted. I want you to know that, I  _ need _ you to know that.”

Nicole doesn’t know how to respond. She honestly can’t understand Waverly at this point. First she does everything she can to annoy the shit out of Nicole, then she openly flirts with her, then she unabashedly makes out with her boyfriend, wait no not boyfriend, man child in the hallway but then says that she may not even want him, and after insisting Nicole come to her party, she abandons her in favor of grinding against another girl. Now, Waverly is pleading with her for forgiveness? 

_ No. I can’t be a part of these mind games anymore. _

“Waverly, I just don’t understand. First you make out with Champ but then you turn around to say you don’t  _ really _ like him. Then after flirting with me and inviting me to your party which you said you wanted me to go to, you leave me alone. I can’t deal with these mixed signals!”

Nicole stops her attack when she sees Waverly’s eyes cast down with shame. Nicole, in all her confusion, quickly comes to understand one thing. She never wants to see Waverly look that defeated again. She lets out a breath, trying to calm down.

“Look, I forgive you okay?” Waverly’s eyes shoot up, searching for any hint of insincerity in Nicole’s eyes, but all she finds is deep, warm brown and she knows that Nicole wouldn’t lie to her.

“I forgive you. You never really promised me anything, so I shouldn’t get upset for you just doing what you want. But listen, like I said I can’t deal with any more mixed signals. I need you to be open with me okay?”

Waverly can’t help the smile that spreads across her face. Nicole forgives her! They can go back to being friends? Is that what they were? It seems like that’s where they were heading but for some reason that word doesn’t sit well with Waverly.

“Of course. I will do my best.” Waverly reassures Nicole. Nicole goes to turn away but Waverly reaches out for her hand to pull her back. “And Nicole, this is a two way street. I want you to be open with me too. If I do something to make you upset let me know. I don’t know what I would do if I knew I hurt you.”

Waverly is afraid that she crossed over a line. She is still unsure where she stands with Nicole. If they have reached that point further than just surface level banter. But what she fears from Nicole’s response to her admission, she doesn’t find. Nicole gives her an even softer look and just nods her head, not wanting to ruin the moment with whatever dumb thing falls out of her mouth.

They head back to the lunch tables, not realizing that Waverly had never let go of her hand. They find that Jeremy is no longer alone, and not only Chrissy, but Wynonna, Dolls, and their other friend John Henry, who they just call Doc are sitting together. All five of them stop mid-conversation to see Nicole and Waverly standing next to each other HOLDING HANDS. Chrissy is the first one to sport a small smirk as she realizes that her best friend and cousin haven’t even realized the position they’re in. Unlike Chrissy, Wynonna greets them with less than subtle regards.

“Woah Haught Cakes! Babygirl! You two returning from your midday quickie? I get it Waves, Fire Crotch here is hot, but you can’t just sneak off. I gotta talk to you dude.”

Waverly and Nicole’s ears burned bright red at the older Earp’s comments.

“What?! Wynonna! No. We were just talking. But yeah we can go chat.” Waverly squeaked. She then turned to Nicole. Throughout all of this how had they still not let go of each other's hands? “Ummm. I’m glad we got to clear the air a little bit. I was hoping you could make it to the football game tonight?”

“Oh yeah me too. And uh sure.” Nicole rubbed the back of her neck. She really wanted to cut her hair. 

“Great!” Waverly jumped. She unconsciously wrapped Nicole into a hug which surprised them both. Waverly, feeling like taking advantage of the situation decided to play a little with the redhead. She leant deeper into her, moving her mouth closer to her ear. “I think we both know you’re not going for the football players.”

Nicole turned beet red. No. She couldn’t let Waverly leave with the upper hand. Just as Waverly turned away Nicole and back towards Wynonna, Nicole stepped close again to Waverly so that now she was leaning into her ear from behind.

“And I think we both know that short cheerleading uniform isn’t for them either.” Nicole leaned her body even more into the shorter girl so that she was pressed a little more, not caring that her friends were watching them. At this point, no matter what they do, they’re gonna take it the wrong way. Why not feed into their every growing interest in the two of them? “I look forward to seeing you Miss Earp.”

She felt Waverly shudder a little bit as she breathed more onto her neck.

“Okay yup! Coolio. See you then. Wynonna?” Waverly managed to get out before dragging her sister away from the table and as far away from Nicole as possible. She didn’t understand. She’s the one who can seduce any girl. Or guy. She makes their knees weak. How did Nicole Haught have this effect on her?

“Wow” Leave it to Chrissy to break the tension. “Dude. I mean I know I said for you two to become close but damn girl! I’m happy for you. I mean the shameless flirting? I thought you two were mad at each other but you got over that real quick!”

Dolls, normally stoic, chuckled at seeing the flustered redhead. “Haught, you have something you want to share?”

“Guys, I’m not hooking up with Waverly. I mean that’s actually ridiculous. That girl has been a pain in my side for so long, you really think a week of us trying to be normal means we suddenly wanna bone?”

“I mean I wouldn’t put it past Waverly. You know that girl isn’t shy.” Chrissy reminded her.

Right.

Waverly has a reputation. Adorable, rebellious Waverly is the most desired girl in the entire school. Who was Nicole to think she could compete?

Nicole just sat down, effectively ending the conversation as she ignored her cousin and shoved her now cold lunch into her face.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nicole sits in the stands with Jeremy. Recently, Jeremy had been talking to this guy Robin who was on the football team. She remembers Jeremy’s excited rambling as he was telling her about this new guy he met and that a football player actually wanted to date him!. Nicole, like Waverly predicted, was less interested in the football, and more interested in the bubble of girls and some guys standing at the edge of the field carrying their pom poms. Waverly’s small frame usually made her hard to find in a crowd, but as captain of the cheer squad, she stood front and center looking angelic as always. She smiled as Waverly led her team in a cheer after the football team reached 1st down only 10 yards away from getting a touchdown. Honestly, Purgatory High could be losing 0-30 and Nicole wouldn’t give a damn as long as she could watch Waverly. Ever since their little trick at lunch and all of Wynonna and Chrissy’s comments, Nicole had accepted her less than small attraction towards Waverly. Yes, Waverly had a reputation for being a bad girl, and Nicole was very much not one for breaking rules too often, and so what if every other kid in school liked Waverly. Nicole couldn’t argue that they were wrong in liking the feisty brunette. She had a way of capturing your attention and Nicole wasn’t gonna fight their connection any longer.

She didn’t even realize that the game was over until Jeremy was tapping her on the shoulder saying he was going to go congratulate Robin.  _ Hmmmm. That’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll ‘congratulate’ Waverly _ . Nicole started to make her way down the bleachers until she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Champ had thrown off his helmet and taken Waverly in his arms for a post-win kiss. And Waverly was letting him. 

“What the actual fuck?” Nicole muttered under her breath. “I thought they were fucking done. No more games she said. Complete communication. Yeah right.”

Nicole turned her body away from the cheer squad and headed out the other side of the bleachers back to her car. 

Unfortunately for her, escaping wouldn’t be that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, they were so close to being ok. Don't worry, Waverly will figure out her shit.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Waverly, you have to understand it isn’t easy for me to trust others. And everything you’ve done so far has given me no reason to trust you. You keep saying one thing but doing the opposite.”
> 
> “I know Nicole. And I really don’t know how to make up for that other than saying I’m sorry and hoping you will come with me and let me talk. Your car seems to be broken, I can give you a ride on my bike if you want. Of course you don’t have to, I’m sure you can just call an Uber or get Jeremy or Chrissy to give you a ride. But if you’ll give me one more chance to earn your trust and forgiveness, please let me give you a ride.”
> 
> Looking into Waverly’s apologetic eyes, Nicole lets herself out of the car.
> 
> “Fine. One more chance Earp. But I’m telling you for the last time, one more trick and I’m gone. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. We can work in class, but only class. I’m done opening myself to you to only be taken advantage of.”
> 
> “I can work with that.” But I don’t think I can ever live with myself if I let that happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah. I'm updating quickly. I warned you I have zero schedule. Anyways...Waverly. C'mon Waverly! What’s the deal with Champ? We get some answers with this chapter.

Champ catches Waverly by surprise. Her high from cheerleading and the team winning the game are still strong as she can’t help her loud cheers and enthusiastic victory dance. Champ takes this opportunity to pull Waverly in for a victory kiss. Waverly, still caught up in all the excitement, returns the kiss, too happy to care exactly who she was kissing. She had never been one to be picky anyway. I mean, it was just a kiss so who really cares?

_ Well there may be someone who might. _

That thought alone sobers Waverly enough for her to pull away from Champ and escape before he can reach out for her again. Waverly scrambles through the crowd, towards the locker room. She throws polite thank yous and smiles as people compliment and congratulate her for the game and her cheer routine. Changing out of her uniform, Waverly throws on her leather jacket. Reveling in the warmth it provides against her cool skin. She runs as fast as she can, now ignoring anybody in her path. She pants heavily after making the long run across the athletic fields to the parking lot. Her eyes frantically search for the unmistakable red hair. She spots the car that she remembers Nicole had driven to the Homestead. Waverly frowns as she starts remembering that night.  _ Not the time Earp. _ Waverly runs over to Nicole who has been struggling to get the engine running.

“Fucking piece of junk.” Nicole huffs as she slams her hand on the dash. She startles after she hears a tap on the window. Seeing Waverly just makes her try even harder to get the engine to start, but it seems like even her car is against her. She sighs, resigning herself to lowering her window to let Waverly say what she needed to say, prepared for a new set of lies as Waverly’s excuse for treating her like shit.

“Look Nicole I really need to talk to you. I’m so sorry about tonight. I must seem like an asshole. I swear I didn’t want to kiss Champ. He caught me by surprise and I guess the excitement from the game just lowered my sense of surroundings. Please can you get out the car and let me explain. I think you deserve an explanation and a reason. I know nothing can excuse the way I’ve treated you, but this is something I feel like I need to share.”

Nicole really didn’t know what to do at this point. She knew Waverly has been toxic the entire time they’ve been together, but a part of her still can’t deny the sincerity she sees in the brunette’s eyes. 

“Waverly, you have to understand it isn’t easy for me to trust others. And everything you’ve done so far has given me no reason to trust you. You keep saying one thing but doing the opposite.”

“I know Nicole. And I really don’t know how to make up for that other than saying I’m sorry and hoping you will come with me and let me talk. Your car seems to be broken, I can give you a ride on my bike if you want. Of course you don’t have to, I’m sure you can just call an Uber or get Jeremy or Chrissy to give you a ride. But if you’ll give me one more chance to earn your trust and forgiveness, please let me give you a ride.”

Looking into Waverly’s apologetic eyes, Nicole lets herself out of the car.

“Fine. One more chance Earp. But I’m telling you for the last time, one more trick and I’m gone. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. We can work in class, but only class. I’m done opening myself to you to only be taken advantage of.”

“I can work with that.”  _ But I don’t think I can ever live with myself if I let that happen. _

Waverly leads Nicole to her motorcycle. 

“Woah, woah woah. Wait one second.” Nicole stops Waverly just as she hands her the spare helmet. “Ummm… I’ve never actually been on a bike.”

Waverly laughs which Nicole doesn’t appreciate.

“Aw c’mon. It’s perfectly safe. At least if I’m the one driving. I know you’ve been dying to ride it.” Waverly is about to start their usual banter with sexual undertones but stops when she remembers that now is not the time and she needs to be straightforward with Nicole. “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to. I meant what I said before. I want to fix things and re-earn your trust.” Waverly softens.

Nicole figures if she’s going to start believing in Waverly again, she might as well start with putting her life in the brunette’s hands. She puts on the helmet and jumps on behind Waverly.  _ Damn _ . There was one part of this that she forgot about. And it seems like Waverly also forgot about it if the tension in her shoulders is any indicator. Nicole is going to be pressed up against Waverly. Waverly shakes her arms a little bit, trying to calm herself down. They both are incredibly grateful that neither can see the other’s face which are both sporting a darker shade of red than normal. Nicole does her best to keep space in between their bodies, but as the turns become more frequent, she can’t help but hold onto Waverly a little bit tighter. She starts to relax, though, as she feels the wind on her face. She closes her eyes, embracing the cool air and unexpected peace of just cruising along the street with the girl she may have a slight crush on.

Suddenly the wind stops and Nicole opens her eyes to find that they have stopped not in front of her house. Waverly leads her off the bike and Nicole stands confused at the gate of the park.

“What are we doing here Waverly. I thought you were taking me home. If you want me to trust you, you can’t just kidnap people!” Nicole breathes out.

“Haha. Calm down cutie. I’m not kidnapping you. I just figured we should find a nice calm place to talk instead of in your driveway.”

“Oh.”

Nicole doesn’t have an argument so she follows Waverly to the lawn, leaning back against the tree. 

“So. You deserve some explanation. Just know I don’t expect anything from you in return, I just want to explain myself.” Waverly starts. Nicole stays silent, knowing she doesn’t need to say anything for the brunette to continue. “I grew up with my mom, Michelle, my dad, Ward, and my two older sisters, Willa and Wynonna. You know about Wynonna and Michelle, but what you don’t know is what Willa and Ward did. I was the youngest right? I was a mistake. Ward never wanted a third daughter. And if he did want another child, he dreamed for a son who he could take shooting and raise to be the next man of the family. I know, stupid fragile masculinity am I right?” Waverly tries to lighten the mood. But Nicole doesn’t react, shocked by Waverly’s words. She knew that Wynonna and Michelle were the only ones left in Waverly’s family, but she never knew why. 

Waverly continued, “Willa was daddy’s favorite. She was the oldest, so he focused most of his attention towards her and bringing her up to be the head of the house seeing as he didn’t have a son. I say most of his attention, because I, as the mistake, received the rest of it. He ignored me for the most part. He never attended any of my recitals when I was a kid or my 5th grade graduation. What he did was torment me. Daddy liked to drink. And when he drank, he would get drunk. He was a violent drunk. He never wanted me. It pained him to see me because Mama’s pregnancy almost tore the two of them apart. He wanted her to get an abortion and Mama wouldn’t. He decided before I was even born to hate me. The summer before my freshman year of high school, Wynonna was a sophomore, and Willa was supposed to be going into her freshman year of college. She got accepted into the top school and Ward and Mama were both incredibly proud. They gave her more freedom as a reward for all her hard work. She was daddy’s favorite, so she would also tease me and treat me like shit. I hated her. God, I know that sounds awful to say that about my own sister. But I did. I hated her. I can’t tell you the number of times I ran to Wynonna or Mama in tears because of whatever Willa did to me that day.” 

“Hey. It’s not terrible. You were young and scared. You shouldn’t have to go through that. It wasn’t your fault anything your parents went through and it was wrong of Ward to blame you for his own issues.” Nicole interrupted her and placed a comforting hand on Waverly’s leg.

Waverly stopped her story, surprised at the sincerity in Nicole’s eyes.  _ How can she mean that? I’ve done so much to her. She should be blaming me too. Take a deep breath, Waverly, just continue the story. _

“Thank you. I don’t deserve that, but thank you. Anyways, that summer, Willa went out to a party with a bunch of her friends. It was dark outside and I was afraid for her. Purgatory roads are dark and windy. It’s not the best conditions to be driving late at night. I tried to reason with her to not go and miss this one. She hit me. Yelled at me basically that it wasn’t my place. She was older. She knew better. So I stopped my pleading and let her go. Mama shared the same concerns as me, but Daddy had already approved of the party, so he let her go too. We received news that same night that her car was hit by another drunk teenager and she was declared brain dead. After a month of waiting, Mama finally convinced Daddy to let her go. She couldn’t see her daughter hooked up to machines breathing for her anymore. Daddy immediately blamed me for this too, saying I should have fought harder. He stormed out of the hospital and out of our lives that night. The last thing my father has ever said to me was that he hated me. That I killed his daughter and that I would never be his. He wished I had never been born.”

Waverly broke out into full on sobs, crying into Nicole’s shoulder. Nicole didn’t know what to say, so she let the younger girl cry, rubbing soothing circles on the girls arm and whispering into her ear, “Waverly you are not a mistake. You are incredible. I’m so sorry your father couldn’t see that, but you have Wynonna and Michelle. You have Chrissy. They love you soo much. I can see it whenever they are with you. And you have me. You don’t need to keep talking. I know how hard this is for you. But trust me, I’m so grateful you are now a part of my life.” Nicole tried to calm Waverly down, but the other girl just cried harder into her shoulder.

“Th-thank you-ou. You ha-ha-have no idea ho-how much that means to me.” Waverly looks up from Nicole’s shoulder and takes a deep breath. “But there’s more I need to tell you. A dark past doesn’t explain why I treated you like shit.” Nicole accepted it and let Waverly explain her actions.

“Willa’s death didn’t only result in Ward’s leaving. Wynonna left too. She just said she had to take a break. She returned in time to start school and a plethora of stories to tell about her adventures in Europe. I wasn’t sure if Wynonna would ever return home, so I was also sent down a spiral of bad behavior. I started drinking and smoking, using Chrissy’s connections as the Sheriff's daughter to find the dealers in Purgatory. Chrissy tried to get me to stop, but after seeing that I wasn’t hurting myself and drinking and smoking somewhat responsibly, she decided to just let me be and be there as a friend if I did get myself into trouble. Wynonna returned to a completely different Waverly. I wasn’t shy about my sexuality anymore, figuring to just fuck it an do what I wanted to do now that the people who I were most afraid of were out of my life. Mama basically turned into a shell of a person, Wynonna’s return seeming to be the only thing that brought her out of it. Gus acted more like a mother to me than anyone, but as I didn’t live with her, she didn’t have a say in what I did. She just made sure to always give me support and feel loved, which I have to say was one of the only things that kept me from completely disregarding my own health. You knew me through freshman year, so I don’t think I have to explain much. Once I got my license the summer before Sophomore year, I bought my jacket and motorcycle, seeing it as a way to gain freedom. Wynonna doesn’t approve of most of what I do, but she knows not to interfere. She had to work hard to regain my trust and she doesn’t want to lose that. You have to understand it’s not easy for me to trust people anymore. Everyone seems to leave at some point.” Waverly stops talking, looking to Nicole to see if she understands what Waverly is trying to get at. Her explanation for the boy-man. Nicole thinks she understands what she’s trying to say, so she decides to show mercy on the other girl and spare her from having to share the rest.

“I get it Waverly. You lacked stability, so you found it in Champ. He’s far from perfect and doesn’t treat you right and I won’t lie just to spare your feelings. He doesn’t deserve you. But I understand. You’re afraid of abandonment, and despites Champs repulsiveness, he’s there. You know he won’t reject you.” Waverly is dumbfounded. She didn’t expect Nicole to understand. But here she was, finishing her thoughts for her. Waverly holds on tighter to Nicole.

“Nicole, you’re incredible. I don’t deserve you.”

“Hey, you stop that right now. Well, maybe not the complimenting part. I know, I’m great.” Nicole winks, causing Waverly to smile.  _ Yes! _ “But don’t think you don’t deserve me. You deserve anything you desire. People deal with grief in many ways. There is no right or wrong. And, with the way Ward and Willa treated you and Wynonna’s leaving, I can’t blame you for having abandonment and trust issues. You reacted perfectly ok. You also need to understand that Wynonna was also dealing with her own grief. So don’t give her a hard time either. But I will always be there for you Waves.” Nicole finishes and Waverly looks at her with the biggest puppy eyes she’s ever seen. Nicole smiles. Their faces are so close now that Waverly has shifted during the conversation so that Nicole is basically holding her in her lap and Waverly’s head is on her chest and shoulder. They’re just inches apart. Nicole notices Waverly’s tongue wet her lips, and Nicole can’t help but think about how soft they must feel. Nicole raises her hand to wipe away Waverly’s tears, but it lingers on her cheek. Waverly closes her eyes and leans into the touch.

_ What would it feel like to kiss those lips? She looks so beautiful with her hair on one side, her long lashes accentuated over her closed eyes, and those lips. Those perfect lips that just told the most heartbreaking story I have ever heard.  _

All Nicole wants to do is kiss away those tears and mouth and make Waverly feel better. She deserves better and she deserves to be loved and Nicole wants to give that to her. Nicole leans in, and Waverly opens her eyes, looking surprised. Nicole reacts too quickly, however, not giving Waverly time to show her that she wants that too. 

_ What was I thinking?? Waverly obviously doesn’t want to be with me. She just explained herself that we both know about her history. She’s been with guys and girls many times. Stupid idiot. You’ve kissed maybe one person? Who do you think you are that popular Waverly Earp with multiple past hookups will want to waste her time with someone as inexperienced and unsocial as you?  _

Nicole abruptly stands up, pulling Waverly up with her.

“Woah Nicole what’s going on? Did I really just scare you off that bad? Now you’re the one sending me mixed signals. Are you here for me or not? I thought we both wanted the same thing. I thought I proved that to you.”

“Waverly, you don’t understand. I have my own stuff to deal with too. I’m not sure that this is a good idea. Just take me home please.”

Nicole walks over to the motorcycle and jumps on, refusing to acknowledge Waverly any further. Waverly realizes she’s not going to get anywhere with Nicole the rest of the night and just slumps her shoulders as she pulls away from the park and drops Nicole off. She tries to wish her goodnight, but the tall redhead is already off the bike and in her house before she can get a response.

_ What the hell was that? How could I have fucked things up this time? _

Waverly drives home utterly confused and upset. She ignores Wynonna as she heads straight for her room. She sees that Chrissy texted her checking in, but she just silences her phone, falling asleep on top of her covers, fully clothed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll. This was kinda a tough one. What a roller coaster. Now we have some answers from Waverly. I guess it's Nicole's turn? What's her deal? We get some answers from her next chapter, but be prepared, it's gonna take a hot sec before they're on the same page. I did say slow burn and It's only been 4 chapters :)


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you okay Waves?”
> 
> “Yeah. Thank you Chrissy, I don’t know what I would do without you.”
> 
> “Oh, you would probably be out, selling feet pics to random dudes for cash.”
> 
> “OMG NO!” Waverly looked appalled and slapped Chrissy on the arm. “Get out of here bitch.”
> 
> “Hahaha. Ok Waverly. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
> 
> “Yeah yeah,” Waverly grumbled. “Seriously though Chris, thank you.”
> 
> “Any time Waves. I’m here for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry It’s been such a long break! I had a lot to deal with for college applications, but I now have the entire week off for Thanksgiving, so I’ll hopefully get at least two chapters out. I’m also expected to work on my regular decision apps so we’ll see how much I truly get done. Thanks for sticking with me!

The next day Waverly drove straight over to Chrissy’s. Thank God she didn’t have school. She wouldn’t have to face Nicole. Waverly pounded on the door, begging that it was Chrissy who opened it. What she didn’t expect to find was Nicole Haught on the other side of the door. 

_I thought I dropped her off at her house? What’s she doing at Chrissy’s?_

“Umm… hi” Waverly squeaked out.

“What are you doing here Waverly?” Nicole yawned out. She was too tired to deal with this at 8:30 AM.

“I wanted to talk to Chrissy. Is she awake yet?” Waverly just wanted this conversation to be over.

“Yeah she’s here. Eating breakfast with her father. You can come in.” Nicole moved out of the way for Waverly to push by. She immediately found Chrissy and made eye contact, trying to convey a silent message. Thankfully her best friend seemed to understand and she joined Waverly in her Jeep to get some privacy. 

“Hey what’s up?” Chrissy started.

“What’s Nicole doing here?!” Waverly rushed out.

“Uh, she came here last night upset. She needed a place to stay to escape her house so I let her in. She’s my cousin Waverly, she’s going to be here sometimes.”

“Why did she need to leave her house?”

“That’s not really my place to say. It’s Nicole’s story not mine.”

“Did she mention me? We spoke last night and I told her everything. About my family, about me, about Champ. I opened my heart to her, and she ran away. I feel like I fucked something up that I don’t even know about. We were getting closer! And I don’t know if she has said anything to you, but Chrissy, I like her. I thought she might like me too.” Waverly explained. She felt like crying. “She left Chrissy, right after I explained how everyone seems to leave me. I don’t understand what’s going on. I just want to know how to help!”

Chrissy looked at her with as much sympathy as anyone can look at another. She wanted to tell her best friend everything, but she knew it wasn’t her place.

“Waverly, I promise you, Nicole doesn’t want to hurt you. She is going through some things of her own ok? She will tell you on her own time, so be mindful. Try not to take her actions too personally. I know she wants to get closer to you too, she’s just scared.” Waverly seemed to relax at those words. “Waverly, I know you want answers, so I’ll tell you this much. Nicole’s home situation isn’t the best ok? She deals with a lot of shit from her parents, so she has a lot of insecurities. I’m not going to say any more because it’s not my place, but let her explain. I know she will open up to you.”

Waverly seemed to accept that answer, calming down. _So it’s not my fault?_ She could work with that. She smiled knowing that she could still save her relationship with Nicole.

“Are you okay Waves?”

“Yeah. Thank you Chrissy, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Oh, you would probably be out, selling feet pics to random dudes for cash.”

“OMG NO!” Waverly looked appalled and slapped Chrissy on the arm. “Get out of here bitch.”

“Hahaha. Ok Waverly. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah yeah,” Waverly grumbled. “Seriously though Chris, thank you.”

“Any time Waves. I’m here for you.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waverly had never been more anxious than she was the following day at school. She tried to start conversations with Nicole during their shared classes, but Nicole just pushed her glass further up her face and shrunk into her seat, clearly avoiding speaking to Wavelry. Waverly decided she had finally had enough and cornered the taller girl after school in the parking lot. 

“Nicole, please talk to me. I can’t keep seeing you everyday and not understand what’s going on. I thought we agreed to open up to each other. I made my move, but I feel like you’re not doing the same. I just want to know how I can help fix this!”

“Waverly, you can’t understand. You’re surrounded by people who adore you. Hell, you’re one of the most popular people in school whereas I’m just the anti-social loser with only a cousin and the school’s geek to hang out with.”

“Nicole, can you please come with me somewhere we can talk more privately? I just want to listen.”

Nicole nodded and followed Waverly to the same park as the other night. _I guess this is becoming our spot now._ Nicole thinks. She hops out of her car and heads to the same patch of grass under the tree where Waverly has already set herself up.

“Look Nicole, I know this is hard for you to share. I don’t want to make you feel pressure. Just know you can share as much or as little as you like. You don’t even have to share anything. I just like being with you.” 

Nicole takes a deep breath in, calming her nerves. “Waverly, you shared your story with me, I want to do the same. Before you say anything, this is my choice. I agreed to be more open, and I want to honor that.You are not pressuring me, and yes, I may be scared, but I am not uncomfortable. Despite all our mixed signals, I feel safe with you.” Waverly beams, allowing herself to be held by Nicole, knowing that Nicole needs to feel her presence.

“When I was 12, I had this friend Lily. One day we were at a birthday party for our friends, and the group decided to play spin the bottle. At that age, all the girls were boasting about what boys they liked, and I never understood what they were talking about. I didn’t like any of the guys. I thought they were all gross. I dreaded hanging out with other girls because I knew that the conversation would always lead to guys. I would always make up what guy I “had a crush on.” I didn’t want to seem like a weirdo who didn’t like any boys. Anyway, it turned out that the guy I made up actually had a crush on me, so it was Lily’s brilliant idea to play spin the bottle so that maybe me and this boy would kiss. I was petrified that they would find out I made it up, so I played along. I spun the bottle and it ended up landing on Lily. I went to spin it again, but she just looked at me like it was no big deal that we would kiss. 

‘It’s not like we’re gay or anything,’ she said. 

‘Right’

She leaned in to kiss me, and I swear that kiss felt like it lasted for a minute, not the 2 seconds it truly was. I felt her pull away and I went in, chasing her lips. Everyone saw that I wanted to keep kissing her. I was filled with shame. Everyone saying that I was gay, and my refusals did nothing to help. Lily ended up going home and telling her parents saying she couldn’t hang out with me anymore. My parents found out and they yelled at me. They called me the worst words I have ever heard. Since then my parents have never accepted who I am. They moved me to Purgatory so that no one knew their disgrace of a daughter.”

Nicole finally stopped talking, and she was met with nothing but silence. Waverly was speechless. She had no idea the trauma Nicole had faced. _I guess we both know what it’s like for parents to hate you based on something that’s out of our control._

“Nicole?”

“Yeah Waverly?”

“I’m so sorry you experienced that. You must have felt so betrayed by your friend, and to be going through that and not have your parents’ support… It’s awful.”

“Yeah it is.” Nicole wiped the tears that were now falling. 

“Uncle Randy and Chrissy would take me in on the nights that my parents’ abuse would be too much. Don’t get me wrong, they were never physical which I am grateful for. But their words sting just as much as a knife. Chrissy and my uncle are the only true family I have. Everyone else has abandoned me. That’s why I’ve been a roller coaster, Waverly. It’s nothing against you, it’s just I have all these insecurities that make it hard to trust who is truly in my corner and who is just toying with my emotions.”

Nicole finally was able to make eye contact with the brunette, trying to convey the meaning behind her words. To get Waverly to understand that she does want to open up, but it’s hard.”

“Nicole, I promise you I am not trying to manipulate your emotions. I am here for you always.” Waverly shyly smiles up at Nicole, and the redhead sees the sincerity behind her words. She shakes her head, disbelievingly.

“No. No one wants that, you shouldn’t have to-” Her words get cut off by the feeling of lips pressed against hers. She melts into the kiss, wrapping Waverly tighter into her arms. She pulls away when the need for air becomes too great.

“Waverly wait. Don’t deserve this, you’ve been with-”

“Nicole, shut up.” Waverly presses her lips against Nicole’s again, wanting to wash away any doubts.

“But-”

“Nicole I swear to God. I have no intentions of betraying you. As long as you want me, I will be by your side.” Nicole smiles and lets herself be pulled into another kiss. Waverly turns her body so she is not fully on top of Nicole. She thanks the heavens that the tree is deep in the woods of the park and no one can see them. She runs her hands up Nicole’s sides and into her hair, playing with the hairs on her neck. Nicole lets out a sigh as she feels fingernails gently scratching, reminding her that she wants to get her hair cut. Nicole feels Waverly begin to slowly grind on her, and she is startled into remembering that Waverly is far more experienced than she is. She then thinks of Champ. The stupid boy-man who thinks Waverly belongs to him. 

Waverly feels Nicole disconnecting and she pulls away.

“Hey Nicole, what’s wrong?”

“Uh, nothing. I should get home. It’s getting late and I have a ton of work to do. My parents will get mad if they find out I haven’t started it yet.” Nicole rushes up and starts heading towards her car leaving a confused Waverly in her wake. 

“Nicole! Wait! Talk to me please!” Waverly is desperately trying to get Nicole’s attention, but she’s too late. The taller girl’s stupid long legs carry her faster than Waverly’s tiny ones can, and the redhead has driven away before Waverly can stop her. Waverly is heartbroken, feeling rejected and used. But most of all, Nicole abandoned her and she didn't know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I'm starting to hate Nicole. I mean, the girl has insecurities, I get it, but poor Waves is left in the dark. These girls can't seem to get in sync can they.


End file.
